Cyclone and other Scorpion One-shots
by Aggressively Hospitable
Summary: Walter hated many places, the hospital being near the top of the list. He hated the smell, he hated the lights, he hated the 'soothing' colors on the walls. But most of all, he hated the reason why he was there- Paige had been in a car accident. Edit- this will now be a collection of Scorpion one-shots. Rating will vary. T for safety.
1. Accident

Walter hated many places, the hospital being near the top of the list. He hated the smell, he hated the lights, he hated the 'soothing' colors on the walls. But most of all, he hated the reason why he was there.

Paige had been driving back to base after dropping Ralph off at school when she was hit by a drunk driver. Quinn had told him the car Paige had gotten had great crash test ratings and that she was probably okay. But still he had found himself sitting in the waiting room, staring at the clock and running trigonometry algorithms off it to keep himself from pacing, or better yet, yelling at the nurses to let him back into the ER. His hands were beginning to shake despite him keeping them in clenched fists. If his leg bounced any harder it would bounce off. He could feel the adrenalin in his bloodstream like acid eating away at him, he could feel the anxiety building in his chest like cancer, and he could feel the dread settle into the pit of his stomach like lead.

Just before he lost his nerve, a nurse came and called him back. A few seconds later, he walked briskly into the room to find Paige sitting up in bed, patiently waiting to see him.

"Are you hurt?" Walter demanded as he stood at the foot of the bed, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to disguise any remaining trembling.

"I'm gonna be fine," Paige assured him slowly, already sensing Walter's discomfort and anxiety.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"I was going through an intersection; a guy ran the red light and hit the back corner and spun me. I'm a little banged up from the impact, but I'm fine. I didn't break anything, and I'm not bleeding. I'm just going to be sore for a few days," she explained.

Walter nodded, some of his anxiety beginning to melt with Paige's gentle, encouraging smile, despite her pain. She gestured for him to come closer so she could hold his hand.

"I'm going to be just fine," Paige repeated, squeezing his fingers. "They're going to release me any minute."

Walter took a deep breath and squeezed her hand back.

The next day, Walter watched Paige closely and noticed that she had taken more than her recommended dosage of pain killer, and that she was continuously massaging her left shoulder. He could tell by the way she was standing that her back was out of alignment, pinching a nerve.

He began to look up chiropractors and massage therapists, and a few moments later he gave Paige a piece of paper with names, addresses, and times written down for her appointments.

"What's this?" Paige asked as she looked it over.

"Your appointments. You need to see a chiropractor and probably a medical massage therapist as well. You've been favoring that shoulder, and at the angle you've held and massaged your neck for most of the morning is evidence that several of your cervical vertebrae and thoracic vertebrae are out of place. They're pinching your lateral cord, medial cord, and probably several thoracic intercostal nerves as well, causing you pain and discomfort which would be why you've taken one and a half dosages of your hydrocodone sixty-seven and a half minutes earlier than recommended," Walter explained.

Paige narrowed her eyes slightly at him, and while normally she would have been put off by someone watching her that closely, she knew Walter meant well.

"Okay," she agreed with a small nod. She noted that she would have to leave right away to make the appointments on time, and she went to get her purse.

"You're not driving," Walter stated as he took the keys from her hand.

"Excuse me? I'm perfectly capable of driving. I'm an adult; I can take myself to my own appointments," Paige argued as she tried to grab the keys back.

Walter held them just out of her reach. "Your body's saturation of the hydrocodone hasn't peaked yet, and they put those warnings to not operate heavy machinery while taking this drug for a reason. Just let me drive. You can't get in another accident," he told her as he headed out the door.

Paige tried and failed to withhold an aggravated groan as she followed him. Then she rode in the passenger seat as Walter dutifully drove her to the appointments he set up, and three hours later they returned to base. By then Paige was feeling better than she was willing to admit. Neither did she want to admit that what Walter did for her was exactly what she had needed.

But when they were alone for a minute, she stood up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek with a simple, whispered "thanks."

Walter blushed and ducked his head and mumbled, "You're welcome."

_Author's notes- Many thanks to Alaburn and thank you so much for reading. :)_


	2. Seeing Red

Seeing Red

Happy liked black, whether it was her black shirts, her black leather jackets, her black boots, her black welding helmet, or the motorcycle she'd been rebuilding. She found comfort in the color. That wasn't to say she didn't have other colors in her wardrobe. She had white tank-tops, usually to go under her wide range of plaid flannel shirts. She liked clothes that were comfortable, that could get dirty but were easily washed. She preferred simple, rugged things, but that were also well-made.

She didn't want to buy something only to have it break after a few uses. Like tools. There were few things she hated more than a tool breaking, because a tool was designed and built to work. So for one to fail, it understandably made her angry. It was one of the instances that made her see red.

She also saw red whenever anyone insulted her friends who had become her family. She saw red whenever anyone pushed her around, or worse, flirted with her. She was cute, she got that, but that shouldn't have anything to do with her work. She was a damn fine professional, and anyone who thought that her gender would hinder her performance had another thing coming.

"You have Anger Dissidence Syndrome," Toby stated when he came over to her workshop that morning.

"So what if I do?" Happy challenged as she gripped her hammer a little tighter.

"Here, this may help," Toby offered as he set a red book on her work table before he walked away.

Happy glared at his back and then continued to work on her project.

But an hour later, when she had 'cooled off', she wiped her hands and looked curiously at the book. She picked it up and looked around, when she sensed she was alone, she started to read.

A few hours later, Walter walked in with a burrito and something to drink, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw her sitting at her work table, obviously deeply engrossed in a book. He watched her for a moment before tentatively walking forward and gently setting the food down next to her. He managed to take a peek at what she was reading, and then he retreated to go do a quick search on the bits of text he had been able to see.

Once he found it, he leaned back in his chair and peered at those around him. Sylvester was still working on an algorithm and probably hadn't moved all day except to drink some water every now and then. He looked over at Toby who conveniently and 'casually' avoided his gaze. Bingo.

Walter smirked and strode over to Toby, looking at him expectantly. It wasn't until Walter cleared his throat that Toby finally looked up.

"What?" Toby asked.

"I saw something interesting when I walked into Happy's workshop," Walter baited, trying to suppress his grin when Toby's pupils dilated just a tiny bit. "Happy appeared pretty captivated by a book she was reading. It had a red cover, and it's about anger and finding personal peace. It's not something Paige or Sylvester would get for her, because Paige isn't that comfortable with Happy yet to make that kind of suggestion, and Sylvester is... well, Sylvester. So that just leaves you."

"Look, I've said time and time again that Happy has hostility and anger issues, and while I personally don't have a problem with them because they have helped to insure her survival, she and the team would be better off if Happy could put a handle on it now and then. Bad things happen when she sees red. You know it, I know it, and most importantly, she knows it," Toby explained.

Walter nodded, able to see Toby's reasoning. "Okay, just give me a heads up next time you play therapist," Walter warned as he walked away.

But before he could make it back to his desk, Paige came in late from lunch wearing a completely different outfit than she had been earlier.

"What happened to you?" Walter asked as he took in her new attire.

"Ugh, I spilled a chocolate milkshake on myself in the car, so I just went home and changed. Sorry I'm getting back late," she answered apologetically.

"No need to apologize; accidents happen," Walter tried to reply, but it was difficult since his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

Paige smiled sweetly back before going over to the kitchen area to make a fresh pot of coffee. Walter's gaze followed her every step. He didn't know if it was the tight, red skinny jeans, the matching red lipstick, the flowy blouse, or just the whole ensemble, but somehow his eyes weren't able to tear themselves away on their own accord. A beeping from his phone was what finally snapped him out of his reverie.

It was a text from Toby, who was only 10 feet away and at this point almost in tears from trying to hold in his laughter.

The text read - "Looks like Happy isn't the only one 'seeing red'."

Walter gave him an unimpressed look so as to disguise his embarrassment at being caught. But Toby saw through it and grinned victoriously before putting on Scorpions "Rock You Like A Hurricane," and letting it blare through the room.

_Author's Notes- First of all, many thanks to Alaburn for betaing. _

_Second, Getting this second drabble up has been a nightmare this morning, I'm sorry if the first version you saw was unreadible, I've done everything I can to fix it and hopefully you are reading this readable version. _

_Third- Thank you all for reading, for following, for faving and especially for reviewing. If you haven't recieved a personal thanks from me, I'm sorry, I've tried to reach all of you unless your PM is turned off or you're a guest then it's impossible for me to thank you other than- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEW. :)_

_Fourth- I know this is Happy centric and that's because each of these characters are amazing and important and I want to put a 'spot light' on all of them however there will always be a 'Waige' thread through all of them and 'Quintis' is becoming another ship I am most fond of. lol. _

_So thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. :D_


	3. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Walter grinned up at Paige as she straddled him in his chair, his hands naturally resting on her hips before slowly inching upwards, pulling her closer as she whispered his name. Her hands gently cradled his head and turned it upwards to meet hers, her lips mere inches away from his. His lips began to search for hers, but instead they found his arm.

Walter sat up with a jolt and realized he had fallen asleep at his desk. He looked around and saw Toby giving him a smug grin.

"Well hello there, sleepy head," Toby greeted.

"Where's Paige?" Walter asked as he looked around again, absentmindedly wiping his mouth to make sure he hadn't drooled.

"I'm good, thanks for asking," Toby answered as if Walter had returned his customary greeting. "And Paige went to go get some stronger coffee and to pick up Ralph from school. So don't worry, she wasn't around to hear you practically moan her name in your sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep," Walter argued.

"Yeah, but you didn't deny you were dreaming about her. Admit it, you like her. You may claim to have a low EQ, but you're still a hot blooded man, my friend," Toby added, clasping his friend on the shoulder.

Walter shrugged out of Toby's gesture and shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, Toby, there is nothing there other than a working, professional relationship and friendship," he insisted.

"Right, so you don't care that she has a date tonight?" Toby prodded.

"She what?" Walter repeated, suddenly becoming very serious.

Toby grinned victoriously and simply walked back to his desk as Paige came in with Ralph in tow and carrying a drink carrier with coffee.

"Hey Ralph, how was school?" Walter greeted when he saw them.

"It was okay," Ralph replied as he put his backpack on the table and got his books out to do his homework.

"Eat first," his mother urged as she set down a peanut butter and banana sandwich next to him.

Ralph obliged and took two bites before doing his homework. Paige shook her head a little as Walter approached and took the coffee she had brought him.

"Thank you for getting this for me," he said graciously before taking a sip and looking at her thoughtfully.

"What?" Paige asked as she noticed the odd expression on his face.

"So Toby said you had a date tonight?" Walter inquired.

"No?" she responded as if the thought was absurd. "Well, I did get asked out, but he wasn't my type," she then admitted with a bright grin as she drank her own coffee.

"Oh?" Walter prompted.

"One of Ralph's classmates," she explained. "He asked me if we could go out for ice cream sometime. I thought it was adorable, but Ralph doesn't like him much."

"Ralph is a good judge of character," Walter remarked with a proud grin.

Paige returned the grin but then narrowed her eyes curiously. "Why would you be so interested if I had a date anyway?" she asked.

"Well…" Walter began before he paused and reminded himself to choose his words carefully. "To be honest, you seem to have a lot on your plate right now, especially with Ralph, and he needs to be your main priority."

Paige suddenly gave him a look that he couldn't quite read, which made him nervous.

"True," she agreed after a moment. "And finding a guy who would know how to be with Ralph would be a challenge,"

"One in a million," Walter added in agreement.

"And Ralph is very picky about the people he likes," Paige went on.

"Nothing wrong with that," he agreed quickly.

"So really, that just leaves you," Paige concluded with a smug grin when she watched Walter realize what she had said.

Neither of them said anything and simply stared at each other, waiting to see what the other person would say. A few silent seconds passed until they heard a faint click and both turned to see Ralph suddenly look down at his work and put his phone down.

Paige gave her son a speculative glance then admonished him to finish his homework and his sandwich before she walked away, leaving just Walter and Ralph in the kitchen area.

"Do you need any help with anything?" Walter offered as he took a seat next to Ralph.

Ralph picked up his phone and showed him the picture he had just taken. Walter looked at the picture and smiled. It was a selfie of Ralph, smiling, and in the background was Paige and himself, still looking at each other.

"Cyclone," Ralph stated when he nodded at the picture.

"That's right, we're all a family here," Walter acknowledged.

But Ralph gave a disapproving look. "Cyclone," he repeated with emphasis.

Ralph's meaning clicked in Walter's mind and he couldn't help but smile even more.

"I'm trying," Walter admitted in a low whisper so no one else could hear.

Ralph beamed back and continued to work on his homework.

Meanwhile, Paige had tracked down Toby.

"Why did you tell Walter I had a date tonight?" she demanded, fixing him with an expectant look.

"I was just teasing him; besides, little Johnny's offer sounded pretty good," Toby replied casually with a mischievous grin.

"He's a nine year old," Paige retorted.

"So not quite your type, huh?" Toby baited jokingly. "Then what would you say _is_ your type? Tall, dark, and handsome with a high IQ and deep brown eyes?"

"Did Walter ever care if any of you guys were in a relationship?" Paige inquired, changing the subject so she wouldn't have to answer his question.

"To a degree, yeah. Like if it was a bad relationship or interfered with work," he clarified. "You know you're always welcome to have some chair time. Since Collin's intrusion, we've all had trouble finding our bearings again," Toby pointed out, not noticing when Paige suddenly looked down and tensed up. "I swear my client confidentiality is watertight, and I would never use anything you tell me against you. We're a cyclone - a family - remember?" he added as he sensed that Paige probably really needed it.

Paige took a deep breath and looked over in Walter's direction. "Okay, tomorrow," she muttered before walking over to Happy to see if she needed anything.

Back at the table, Ralph had finished his homework and was showing Walter a video of Paige dancing and singing in the kitchen while she made dinner. Walter had to listen to it using Ralph's headphones, but he had the brightest, happiest smile he had worn in years, which was only mirrored by Ralph. After the video finished, he sent the video and the picture Ralph had taken earlier to his own phone. It was then that Walter noticed that Ralph had him on speed dial, second only to his mom.

"You call me whenever you want, okay?" Walter reminded Ralph when he handed his phone back.

Ralph smiled and nodded as he took the phone back.

"Telescope?" Walter suggested, and followed when Ralph immediately got up and went to said telescope.

"Now the key is putting these back in an order where the magnification can be as strong as possible..." Walter began as they arranged the lenses from the dismantled telescope.

Later that night, Paige was tucking Ralph into bed when Ralph showed his mom the picture he had taken. Paige looked at the picture and noticed Ralph smiling.

"Cyclone," Ralph stated.

"Yeah, we found a bigger family, huh?" Paige responded.

"Cyclone," he said again.

Paige smiled down at her son and leaned forward to kiss the crown of his head. "Yes we are. We are all a cyclone," she whispered. "Now get some sleep so we can go in early again tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Walter had just crawled into bed, having convinced himself that he needed to sleep. But he couldn't help but pull up the video of Paige singing and dancing in her kitchen one more time. He smiled as he remembered what Ralph had told him.

"_Does your mom do this a lot?" Walter had asked._

"_She does now," Ralph replied._

"_She didn't used to?" Walter inquired._

"_Not since, he..." Ralph started to answer before he threw himself back into working on the telescope._

"_Not since your dad left?" Walter guessed with a pained expression._

_Ralph didn't answer. He didn't need to._

Walter looked back at the picture of himself and Paige. Hopefully, someday...

_Author's Notes- Thank you so much Alaburn for betaing, you're my better half in so many ways. _

_Also dream sequences are my guilty pleasure so...yeah...anyway, thank you so much for reading and faving and following and especailly for reviewing, I love to hear from you guys and if there's anyting you would like to see, TELL ME. And just be aware that this is gonna have some Quintis later, this show and fandom is taking over my life. I LOVE IT. _


	4. Couch Time With Toby

Couch Time with Toby

Toby woke up that morning, smiling as the remembrance of his dream washed over him. Ah, Happy wearing nothing but those little cat whiskers… Then he mentally went over what he had to do that day: get a shower, brush his teeth, get something to eat. Oh, breakfast, what would he go with? Bacon and eggs? Waffles or pancakes? White toast or wheat? What jelly would he put on his toast? Oh, what about biscuits and gravy? Or ham and grits? Oh, chicken fried steak sounded delightful, and maybe an omelet with some fresh fruit. What would Happy usually like for breakfast? Would she ever do the breakfast in bed kind of thing?

He really did have a thing for food. Well, he had a thing for pleasure, period, but food seemed to kill two birds with one stone, and while he was at it, he figured he would get breakfast for the team. Much to Happy's surprise, he had not, in fact, gambled away his last paycheck. And he had made good when he had gone back to Vegas with Walter, so money wasn't necessarily an issue today.

Paige seemed like a crepe kind of girl, Walter was a solid eggs and sausage kind of guy, and Happy didn't really eat breakfast. Occasionally a breakfast burrito maybe, but he figured she would probably only go for toast, maybe some bacon. Sylvester had been a bit of a nervous wreck and needed the comfort of carbs – waffles - definitely waffles. For himself, an omelet did sound really good. He needed a little bit of everything this morning.

After going to a diner and getting, well, everything and bringing it back to Scorpion headquarters, Toby took a seat at the table and surrounded himself with his movable feast.

Happy walked in and raised her eyebrows at the sight of Toby practically gorging himself.

"You're welcome to join me," Toby offered, his mouth still mostly full while trying to smile at her.

"No thanks. I'm not one for breakfast anyway," Happy replied as she grabbed a bottle of water.

"Toast?" he suggested as he held out a plate of it toward her.

Happy huffed but grabbed the slice of toast he offered before she walked back to her area.

Toby smiled to himself over his tiny victory before Sylvester came in.

"Got you waffles," Toby greeted, handing them to his friend.

"Oh, good. Hey, when you get a chance, I'm gonna need some couch time today," Sylvester informed him, trying not to sound as anxious as he was, but his mood visibly lightened with the prospect of fresh waffles with strawberry topping and whipped cream.

Toby nodded between chews and mentally added that to his to do list that day.

Then Paige and Ralph came in an hour before Ralph had to go to school, as had become their new custom.

"There's my favorite guy in the universe!" Toby greeted Ralph with a high five.

Ralph smiled and sat down.

"Help yourself. There's plenty here," Toby said as he gestured to the mountain of food in front of him.

"Wow. What's the occasion, Toby?" Paige inquired as she watched her son dig in.

"No occasion really. I just wanted to do something nice for myself and everyone else. You get us food all the time, and I wanted to return the favor. I got you crepes," Toby explained as he handed them to her.

"How did you know I liked crepes?" Paige asked as she took the last chair.

"Your delicate and sweet nature tipped me off," he answered with a smug grin.

"What's all this?" Walter asked as he came in.

"Breakfast," Toby answered, handing Walter his eggs and sausage.

"Thanks," Walter replied as he walked away, only to return with another chair to join the group at the table, choosing to sit between Toby and Ralph.

Toby gave his friend a meaningful look but didn't say anything.

"How are you this morning, Walter?" Paige asked, as it looked like Walter could have used at least another hour of sleep.

"I'm fine," he answered, looking up for a moment before returning his attention back to his breakfast.

Paige's face flashed something for a fraction of a second before returning to a practiced pleasantness. Toby caught it and it peaked his curiosity. Couch time with her was going to be interesting, to say the least.

After breakfast was over and Paige had left to take Ralph to school, Toby decided that it was probably the best time to have his couch time with Sylvester.

"I feel like Collins is still with us. I mean, we've dealt with him before, so we knew how to counteract him, but he still got to Walter. You heard and saw how Cabe gave him his last goodbye, and he just said 'okay' like it was nothing. I know Walter has low EQ, but when Collins came around, it was like he stripped Walter of what little he had. It's like he took his humanity away."

"And that can be very frightening," Toby agreed. "Collins is a master manipulator; he knew where and how to hit us and undermine us, and I hope for all our sakes that Collins stays locked up forever."

"Yeah. Do you think he'll come back?" Sylvester asked, trepidation coloring his every feature.

"I don't know, but we'll stick together and remind Walter to keep his distance if he ever does," Toby assured him.

Later that morning, Toby stopped by Happy's area to check in on her.

"How's the piston?" he asked as she took apart an engine block.

Happy smirked and pulled the piston out, showing it had snapped. "Like Collins' neck if he ever comes around again," she answered.

"Awesome," Toby replied with an approving smile, fighting the urge to at least wrap his arm around her waist. "Did he get to you?" he asked softly as he picked up a tool and examined it nonchalantly, trying not to pressure her.

"Thanks to you, no," she admitted. "That note helped,"

"You're welcome. How's the book?" he inquired.

"It was okay," she muttered. "It helped me keep my head."

"Good," Toby murmured.

"You need to help Paige," Happy blurted out suddenly. "When we went back to Collins' basement, I walked away to read your note and keep my head, but I think when I did that, Collins got into hers. She hasn't been quite the same since."

"Yeah, I told her she was welcome to have some couch time. Hopefully I can smuggle her away from Walter this afternoon."

"Good luck with that," Happy snorted. "It's painful to watch him sometimes. He likes her so much, but he can't _process_ that he likes her."

"Do you think the attraction is mutual?" Toby asked, impressed at Happy's deftness.

"Is gasoline flammable?" she retorted, which got Toby to laugh.

God help him, he loved her sense of humor and quick wit.

"I picked up on that too; I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who could see it," he admitted before looking at her meaningfully. She was so effortlessly pretty. He really could look at her all day long.

"Don't you have some couch time to do?" Happy reminded him.

"Yeah, I better go do the couch thing - the thing with the couch - couch time," Toby punned, which did get a tiny smirk from Happy, underneath her annoyance that he was still lingering.

Toby waited until Walter had gone quiet for a moment before stealing Paige away.

"Can you spare a few minutes?" Toby asked.

"Oh, for _couch time_?" Paige asked quietly so Walter wouldn't hear.

"Yeah, or whenever you're ready," he offered.

Paige looked back over her shoulder at Walter, who didn't seem to notice her absence. "Sure," she agreed.

"You don't actually have to sit on a couch, by the way," Toby mentioned, causing Paige to crack a smile.

"Have you ever been to a therapist before?" Toby asked once they got to the roof. He thought the fresh sunshine might help.

They leaned on the pony wall overlooking the city as Paige began to reply. "Yes, actually. When Ralph was first diagnosed with being 'challenged,' we met with a counselor. And then when Ralph's father and I started having problems because we couldn't connect with our son, we stopped connecting with each other. Then one day a blonde in a Tahoe came to pick him up, and we never heard from him again."

"Did you ever get divorce papers or anything?" Toby inquired.

"No. We were never married," Paige admitted.

Toby nodded and decided to change the subject. "So you seem to have found your stride here. Walter was right; you're thriving."

He noted that when he said Walter's name, Paige deflated, just by a fraction, but then quickly regained her composure.

"I'm getting there. You guys haven't made it easy," she leveled with him honestly.

"True, and I would like to apologize for that. I'm gonna try to make it easier on you. But just a second ago when I said Walter's name, you had a micro reaction. What's going on there?"

"How many times has Walter 'tried on' someone? To see if they fit, and if they don't, discard them?" she asked, trying to keep her pained expression at bay, but her eyes gave her away.

"Never. He's unbelievably picky," Toby answered, but his concern started to rise. "What gave you the impression he would do something like that?" he asked.

Instead of replying, Paige turned her face away as her shoulders dropped.

"Paige, what happened to make you think that?" he rephrased.

"Collins," she admitted.

"What did he say to you?" Toby asked, his voice soft but earnest.

"He said that Walter tries people on, to see if they fit, and then if they don't, he discards them. Collins also pointed out how Walter will simply say 'I'm fine' when he really isn't just to shut you out, which is something Walter does to me all the time. And with Ralph getting so attached to everyone, especially Walter..." Paige recounted but paused as she fought to keep her voice even. "If Walter did that, I don't know if Ralph would ever recover."

Toby's understanding suddenly broadened as things clicked into place. Collins got in her head and played. He got to her, manipulated her, found her fears, and planted giant seeds of doubt.

"Paige," Toby began as he leaned forward and made sure he kept eye contact. "That's not what is happening here. You're as necessary to Scorpion as the rest of us. If anything, you bind us together just as much as Walter does we would have been without a clue back in Vegas if hadn't been for you. Collins is a master manipulator; he does this to everyone, especially to Walter. He is the most mean-spirited person I've ever encountered, and let me tell you, I've seen my fair share of horrible people," he tried to reassure her. "Have you told any of this to Walter?"

"Yeah. He just told me that I was one of you guys, and that 'we can't do this without you'," Paige reiterated.

"Well that's true, but do you believe him?" Toby inquired.

Paige was silent for a moment as she thought it over. Toby didn't say anything, as he sensed she just needed a minute to get her thoughts together.

"The way he looked at me when he said it," Paige finally answered. "I don't know; when he looks at me it's like, I know his brain is probably working on a thousand other things, but when we're talking one on one, it's like I am the only one in the world worth talking to. All of his attention _gently_ rests on me," she explained.

"Then that should squelch those doubts right?" Toby encouraged.

Paige shrugged and couldn't help but smile.

"You're going to be just fine Paige," he assured her.

"Thanks."

"Do you want a hug?" he offered, more as a joke than anything.

"Will Happy put my car's engine in my bed?" Paige asked, making a Godfather reference with a lighthearted laugh.

Toby softly chuckled along with her as he fantasized about Happy becoming that territorial of him.

"I don't think so, but better to be safe than sorry with her," he replied.

Walter came up to the roof only to find Toby and Paige standing close and smiling at each other. Jealousy licked up his spine and caused his core to clench uncomfortably.

"Guys, Gallo's here," he called out.

Paige and Toby turned and quickly came to the door to go downstairs to see what Gallo had for them. Only Walter held Toby's arm and waited until Paige was out of earshot.

"What was going on up here?" Walter asked in a low tone.

"Couch time," Toby answered as he moved to join the others. "And word to the wise, stop telling Paige you're fine," he admonished before pulling away and heading downstairs, smirking as he felt Walter's harsh gaze on the back of his head.

After everyone had started packing up for the night to go home, Toby came over to Walter's area and put a bottle of beer on his desk as he held his own.

"What's this?" Walter asked as he eyed the cold bottle that had already started to form condensation on the label.

"You need couch time more than anyone," Toby reminded him.

"I'm fine," Walter insisted as he started to shut down his computer.

"You know I can read you like a book. You're not fine. You're stressed and anxious and most importantly, in denial," Toby argued as he pulled up a chair across from his friend.

"Really, I'm in denial?" Walter deadpanned.

"Yeah, about a lot of things. I mean, we've nearly had the team destroyed and had more meltdowns than chyrnoble, but yet we as a team are still here, and dare I say, stronger than ever. But still, you're uptight," Toby noted, and with every word he said, Walter showed more signs that he was hitting the nail on the head.

Walter finally gave in and took the beer, unscrewed the top off with his hand, and took a swing while he sat back in his chair.

"How was couch time with Paige?" Walter asked.

"It was fine. Collins got into her head and did some nasty things," Toby baited and watched Walter's jaw clench and his eyes narrow as he gripped the armrests of his chair tighter. "He had her convinced that you were going to drop her like a hot rock," he continued. "Abandon her like everyone else in her life, including her ex. And that if you start saying 'I'm fine' all the time, you're pushing her away and pushing her out, and that's one step away from leaving her completely. However, Paige is mostly concerned about Ralph, which is completely understandable since her life revolves around that kid like any good mother's life should," Toby explained, thinking that disclosing that piece of information wouldn't completely break their confidentiality agreement.

Walter pursed his lips as he thought about what Toby was saying.

"Collins really did a number on us, Walter. He had Sylvester damn near in hysteria with nightmares, and he had Happy in a homicidal rage. He knew when and where and how to pick us apart and he did, all to get to you again. He is the biggest threat to Scorpion and to you personally. You showed serious regression in your EQ when Collins came back. He got in your head and under your skin, and it scared all of us," Toby leveled.

"So is this couch time or a lecture?" Walter rebutted.

"This is me being completely honest about the state of affairs around here," Toby replied. "So, now that we have that out of the way, how are you?"

"I'm okay. Tired, if I'm honest. Mostly just trying to make sure Scorpion stays afloat," Walter answered.

"Hmm, sounds very adult and boring," Toby noted before he took a swig of beer.

Walter cracked a smile and took a swig of his own. "It is, but it needs to be done."

"That's why you get to do it. So anything else?" Toby pried again.

"If anything happens, I'll let you know."

_Author's notes- Special thanks to Alaburn for betaing this one super fast for me. _

_I will apologize right now, I know this isn't **Toby** Toby and right now, Toby is just kind of tolerating Paige, he loves Ralph, because let's face it, everyone loves Ralph. But I wanted to try and please note the word 'TRY' to put some spot light on him and how much he loves Happy and how much they all help each other and can be a loving, supportive if not slightly disfunctional family. And of course, there's the Waige thread. Had to keep that. And if any of you noticed I had to change the title because my beta pointed out that NONE of these are really drabbles, they are one-shots. So I had to change that. _

_Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and as always, I look forward to hearing from you. _


	5. The Experiment

The Experiment

Walter felt he had gathered enough data to create a hypothesis. And now he just needed a means and method of testing out said hypothesis.

He understood why his hands would suddenly get clammy, why his heart rate would increase, and why his throat would suddenly become a little tight. He did not, however, appreciate that these things were happening. It wasn't that complicated. It was just a scientific experiment. An exercise really.

"So would you be interested in testing out a theory?" Walter proposed as he stood in front of her desk.

Paige looked at him curiously and couldn't help but grin, urging him to continue.

"In an effort to make our communication more efficient, I need to become more familiar with your facial expressions, since you use nonverbal cues seventy-one percent more than verbal ones. For me to really study said expressions, I need for you to exude facial cues, but in order for them to be accurate, they need to be manifested naturally," Walter explained and noticed Paige slowly nod as she tried to keep up with what he was saying.

"And how do you propose to accomplish such a feat?" Paige asked as she tilted her head, her grin growing ever so slightly.

"I thought a trip to the museum would be a good choice," Walter answered, a smug grin on his lips.

He knew that this would be a perfect choice for her. He didn't care where they went; he still didn't like art, but watching her look at art was something he could spend hours and hours doing.

"So is this a bio-social exploration with a neuro-chemical overlay that could modify our colleague-slash-friendship paradigm?" Paige asked, pleased she remembered the terms from watching the Big Bang Theory.

Walter's eyes widened as his jaw lowered a smidge. Paige's own smug smile told Walter that she knew exactly what she was asking, and he couldn't help but smile broader.

"If that's what you want it to be, yes," Walter answered, his eyes alight with joy.

"When?" Paige countered.

"Now?" Walter offered as he gestured for the door.

"Okay," Paige agreed as she reached for her purse.

At the museum, Walter let Paige take the lead with the pace. At first she kept looking at him to gauge his reactions, trying to see if he was regretting his decision to take her here of all places, but he remained stoic, if not slightly amused. She could feel him watch her. She knew he would be and didn't hide her expressions as she openly admired the artwork.

At one point, Walter found the courage to take her hand and lead her over to a Gauguin that the Museum was showcasing. Paige never tried to get her hand back, but instead laced her fingers with his and continued to enjoy holding his hand throughout the rest of the museum.

Walter, to his credit, did do a little research on what the different art exhibits were so he could at least know enough to discuss them with her. But holding her hand, something that as a child he had a difficult time grasping the meaning and importance of, was now something he relished and deeply appreciated in this moment. However, she was still the most attractive and, dare he say, beautiful 'exhibit' there. The way her face would subtly change, the extensive array of smiles she possessed, and since she was giving him one particular smile that implied she was excessively pleased, that she was happy _with him._ And that had been the desired result of this exercise.

_Author's notes- Holy moley Alaburn I wrote this, this morning and sent it to you and you sent it back this after noon. just. wow we are on fire. _

_So thank you so much for reading. _


	6. Family Portrait

Family Portrait

Paige arrived at Scorpion that afternoon with a large tote bag that had the most odd looking shapes protruding from within. She went to a private corner of Scorpion that had a large enough table for her to set everything out while still providing some privacy. She grabbed the scissors from her desk and a dusting rag from a shelf and put her bag down, carefully taking the contents out and arranging them in an orderly way.

She pulled up a chair and began to work on her self-assigned task, and after about thirty minutes she was finished. She pulled out a package of wrapping paper and the scotch tape to wrap each finished item. She smiled proudly as she attached little bows to each one as a finishing touch.

When Drew had come back into her life, she had, understandably, gotten uptight and overreacted, and they had all proven to her that they were more of a family than anything else she had ever known. They really did love Ralph and had only done what they did because they cared about him. They were looking out for him and had his best intentions at heart. Paige felt the need to make it up to them, and she figured this was probably the most symbolic gesture she could give them.

She picked up the four parcels and placed each one on their prospective recipient's desk, being careful as to how she set each one down, and along with a small card she had made by hand. She really was quite crafty and artistic. Sylvester and Toby would probably notice and appreciate these details the most.

When the team came back from lunch, she sat on the edge of her desk, waiting for them.

"What's this?" Walter asked first as he picked it up and examined it curiously.

"A peace offering and an apology," Paige answered, watching as they each opened their gifts.

Sylvester was the first one to audibly get choked up, immediately grabbing a handful of tissues. Toby put his hand over his mouth as he regarded the gift in fascination and reverence. Happy was biting her lips, trying not to let her emotions give her away.

Walter, however, had a look of disbelief and awe at what he was holding in his hands, the wrapping paper dropped and forgotten. He looked down at the framed picture of all of them. It had been taken at Ralph's Halloween party. They had all gathered together, each striking a pose, but Ralph had been positioned in front of Paige and Walter, the three of them standing the closest together and Ralph holding Walter's hand along with his mother's. At the top of the picture frame, Paige had used fancy letter embellishments to spell out "Scorpion," and on the bottom she had inscribed "Cyclone."

"Apology accepted," Walter replied with a grateful smile.

Paige let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and felt a deep sense of relief.

"Same," each of the others chimed in.

"Thanks, guys," she muttered appreciatively.

_Author's notes- Many thanks to Alaburn for betaing this for me, you're a rock star. _

_Ok, so this was a response fic to the trailers that have been shown and I wanted to put this up before the episode airs tomorrow night. (getting in under the wire) so I know this is rather short but sometimes it's what you don't say that means just as much as what you do say. So anyway, thank you for reading, Thank you all for all the faves and follows and reviews and I'm SO BEHIND on thanking all of you. I promise I will get to you soon. _


	7. Surprise

Surprise

Paige woke up and had to untangle herself from Walter as the need to go to the bathroom became overwhelming. She hurried to the toilet and fell to her knees to expel the contents of her stomach.

Walter awoke to the sound of his wife retching and began to feel queasy himself. He didn't trust himself to go in there, and his brain began going into overdrive as to what could be wrong with her. He knew she was nauseas, but the answer lay in any other symptoms she was experiencing. He then did a self-awareness check to make sure he wasn't sick. They sometimes had different things to eat for lunch. Did she get something bad? He mentally went over the ingredients available in their kitchen that he could use to make her some tea.

That was when a solution arose in his mind. They had a stick of ginger in their freezer. Paige always kept it in there 'just in case' and to add extra flavor to their meals.

He made his mind up when Paige gave her last hurl and flushed the toilet.

"Honey? You okay?" Walter called out cautiously.

"I'll be okay. It's just something I ate I think," Paige replied, turning on the faucet to wet a wash cloth, and she wiped her mouth before washing her entire face.

"I'll make you some ginger tea," he offered as he got out of bed and padded to the kitchen.

Ginger was world renowned to aid in any kind of nausea. He filled the teapot with water and put it on the stove, setting it to high so it would boil quickly. Then he retrieved a grater from a cabinet and the ginger-root from the freezer. He washed his hands then got to work on grating the ginger until the teapot whistled. He grabbed Paige's favorite mug before dumping the grated ginger in it and added the boiling water. He reached for the jar of honey and added a good sized dollop and stirred it in.

Just then, he turned around to see a very sleepy Ralph looking at him curiously.

"Mom is sick, so I'm making her tea. She'll be okay soon," Walter assured him. "Go get some more sleep, Ralph," he urged him, gently grasping Ralph's shoulder to usher him back to bed.

Ralph nodded and went back to his room to try to get some more sleep. Walter smiled fondly after him and went back to his own bedroom to deliver the tea to Paige.

He went into the bedroom to find that Paige wasn't there. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the possible states she could be in. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked as softly as he could.

"Come in," came Paige's muffled reply.

Walter slowly opened the door to see her sitting on the floor, resting her back against the sink cabinets with a wet wash rag on her mouth and another at the base of her neck. He also noted the smell of an air freshener that she must have sprayed to keep the smell at bay.

Walter couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She looked miserable. He sat down next to her and held out the tea.

"Thank you," Paige murmured before putting the wash cloths down so she could grasp the mug with both hands.

She inhaled the scent deep into her lungs and a little smile bloomed on her lips before she took a tentative sip.

Walter watched her anxiously, feeling rather helpless. But as the tea seemed to wash down her throat and coat her upset stomach, relief was evident on her face. Paige looked over at him and gave him a grateful smile before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm sure it was just something I ate," Paige repeated as she snuggled closer to him.

Walter smiled softly down at her and wrapped his arm around her so she could rest her head on his chest. Paige hummed her appreciation and closed her eyes as he kissed the top of her head and gave her a small but meaningful side hug.

"I love you," he said warmly.

"I love you too," she returned, a grin spreading across her face.

"You're taking a sick day," Walter insisted after a moment of silence.

"No. I'm feeling better already. I just need a little more sleep," Paige countered.

"If you come in, Sylvester will freak and think you have the plague and follow you around with a can of Lysol."

Paige groaned in response.

"So by this afternoon, if you really and truly feel better, you can come in; otherwise, I need you to stay home and rest, okay?"

"Fine," Paige gave in. "Help me back to bed then."

Walter nodded and shifted. "Don't spill that on me," he requested as he lifted her from the floor and carried her to bed.

"Aw, you're carrying me. That's so sweet," she commented sleepily.

Walter smiled smugly before gently setting her down in a sitting position on the bed. He kissed her forehead then went over to the other side of the bed to get some more rest himself.

"Walter?" Paige asked.

"Hmm?" he answered, opening an eye to peek at her.

"Would you rub my back? Please?" Paige pleaded once she had finished her tea and laid back down in bed.

Walter grunted his agreement as he rolled over to face her and watched as she rolled over toward him to rest on her stomach. He had no idea what he was doing, but he just focused on rubbing his hand up and down her spine .She seemed to make the most pleased noises when he was touching her lower back, so that was where he spent most of his efforts.

After a few minutes, she was fast asleep and Walter ceased his actions as he snuggled closer, putting his arm around her waist and trying to get a little more sleep before he had to get up for the day.

Walter's alarm sounded and he turned over quickly to turn it off so it wouldn't disturb her. He rolled back over and kissed his wife's brow before pulling the covers up to make sure she would stay warm and comfortable. He felt her head to make sure she wasn't running a fever. She was just a little warmer than usual but nowhere near hot enough to count as a fever.

He got up and took a shower, and when he was dressed, he came back out to the kitchen to see Ralph sitting at the counter, eating his breakfast and reading a book on neurobiology that Toby had given him.

"Mom is still not feeling well, so she's going to rest this morning. I'm going to take you to school, okay?" Walter informed him.

Ralph didn't really respond, but Walter knew that he had heard him.

He grated up the rest of the ginger, making a note to pick up some more at the store before putting it into the teapot so Paige could make more tea for herself when she woke up. He also left a sticky note telling her as much, along with a reminder that he loved her and hoped she felt better with plenty of X's and O's. Because he knew she loved that sort of thing. Then he joined Ralph at the breakfast bar with his own bowl of cereal as he mentally prepared himself for the day.

"Want to go to Scorpion before school?" Walter offered.

Ralph nodded enthusiastically before closing the book and jumping down to put his bowl in the sink and put his cereal box away, signaling he was already ready to go.

"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming," Walter teased as he picked up his bowl to gulp down the remaining milk.

Ralph took Walter's box of cereal and put it away as Walter put the bowl in the sink, quickly rinsing both bowls out before grabbing his backpack and car keys.

Once at Scorpion headquarters, the team looked up and collectively frowned when Paige didn't walk in with Ralph and Walter.

"Where's Mrs. O'Brien?" Toby asked.

"She's not feeling well this morning," Walter answered and immediately cut his eyes over to Sylvester. "No, she doesn't have swine flu, bird flu, _or_ the plague. She just ate something that didn't agree with her," Walter assured him and everyone else.

Cabe came in after a beat. "Where's Paige?" he asked as he approached the group.

"She's feeling under the weather," Walter answered. "What do you have for us?"

"The Federal Reserve would like a consultation to make sure their latest software updates and firewalls are as impenetrable as they think they are."

"Pfft, so that'll take, what? Ten minutes?" Walter retorted condescendingly.

Cabe gave Walter an unamused look before he noticed Ralph standing there with them. "Hey, how's it going, Ralph?" he greeted.

Ralph shrugged and Walter put his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention.

"Actually, it's time for you to go to school. Come on, I'll drop you off," Walter reminded him.

"The school is on the way; he can get in the van and we can drop him off," Cabe suggested, which Ralph and the rest of the team seemed to like much more.

After dropping Ralph off at school, Cabe leaned over to Walter and gave him an expectant look. "What's really wrong with Paige?" he asked quietly.

"She just ate something that didn't agree with her. She isn't running a fever and she isn't congested, so the flu is out. She was just nauseas this morning.

"Huh. Did she throw up?" Cabe inquired.

"Yeah. I made her some ginger tea early this morning. It's not a crisis. I can handle my wife being sick, and I'm more than capable of taking care of her," Walter insisted.

"I'm sure you are. Did her lower back hurt too?" Cabe asked with glimmer in his eye.

"Yes. The act of throwing up often puts a lot of stress on the body. A body ache and certainly a back ache is a reasonable side effect," Walter explained.

"Sure it is," Cabe replied, his tone disbelieving and hinting at something else entirely. but it was completely lost on Walter.

Toby and Sylvester gave each other confused looks as Sylvester went over all the possibilities and probabilities of what could be wrong with Paige. Happy, however, just rolled her eyes and continued to drive to the Federal Reserve.

Once back at Scorpion headquarters, Paige was sitting at her desk and eating a large bowl of pho from the Vietnamese place a few blocks away as she continued drinking the tea Walter had started for her that morning.

"It certainly smells good in here," Toby proclaimed the moment he opened the door and smiled as his eyes landed on Paige.

Paige smiled back from her seat, despite her mouth being full of noodles and broth.

"Honey, I thought I told you to take the day off?" Walter contested as he walked over to her.

"Well I'm fine now, so I decided to come in," she told him before eating another big mouthful of her soup.

"Well I'm glad to see you're doing better," Cabe cut in with a proud smile before noticing a buzzing sound. "What's that sound?"

"Oh, me," Paige answered as she leaned to the side so they could see the seat massager she was sitting on. "My back has been killing me lately," she explained.

"Okay," Cabe replied with a slow nod, looking pointedly at Walter who just looked back at him, confused. Cabe finally gave up and rolled his eyes. "You know, you had me worried this morning, with the symptoms Walter told us you had I thought you would be out of commission with the flu or… _something else_," he hinted.

"Nope, I'm fine," Paige repeated as she downed a spring roll in two bites.

"You know it must be that newly married thing, where the bride just continues to _glow_," he hinted again.

"Well, you know what they say about a bride who gets married in the month of June," Toby chimed in, watching the scene with curious interest.

"Oh, oh, the bride who marries in June, stays a bride all her life, and that the bride groom who marries in June, gets a sweetheart for a wife," Sylvester answered quickly, proud that he remembered the lyrics to June Bride from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a classic film from the fifty's.

"And it's November. What's your point?" Walter asked, not seeing the connection.

At that point, Cabe groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at all of them. "You know for a bunch of _geniuses,_ you guys sure don't have a clue," he finally told them, shaking his head at them.

They all looked at him, confusion clear on their faces, except for Happy, who was wearing a mischievous grin for once.

Toby glanced at her and noted her grin, which Cabe was now sharing with her. "What are you two grinning about?"

"Wait," Happy cautioned as she nodded over to Paige who had stopped eating and looked to be deep in thought.

She appeared to be doing some mental calculations right before a moment of realization flashed on her face. Bolting up from her seat, she grabbed her purse and left without saying another word to anyone.

Walter simply stared after her in complete confusion.

"She'll be back in a few minutes," Happy announced with a knowing grin. "Good call," she told Cabe.

"I've been around enough to know it when I see it," he replied.

"Know what?! What are you guys talking about?!" Walter demanded.

"Let's just be patient until Paige comes back. No one say anything," Cabe suggested, grabbing Walter by the shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.

After what seemed like an eternity later, Page came back with an unreadable expression on her face. Walter immediately came to her side, and the rest of the team tried to listen to the low murmurs of their conversation, Happy and Cabe still giving each other knowing looks. Toby's understanding finally dawned on him, and he couldn't help but smile excitedly as he wrote down 'pregnant' on a piece of paper and gave it to Sylvester, who nodded and tried not to cry with the sudden joy blooming in his chest.

Meanwhile, Paige held up four pregnancy test sticks, all showing a positive result for Walter to look at. They were all different brands, but Walter examined the digital one, the readout giving an estimation of how far along she might be.

"We need to see an OB/GYN," he said suddenly.

"I already made an appointment for Wednesday," Paige told him, an excited smile spreading over her features.

"You're going to have a baby," he said, mostly to himself to help it sink in. "We're going to have a baby," he repeated, his voice getting a little louder, and before he could stop himself, he had gathered Paige into his arms and kissed her soundly.

The rest of the group let them have their moment before erupting into applause.

Paige and Walter broke apart and laughed.

"Congratulations!" Cabe said as he shook Walter's hand and welcomed the hug Paige gave him. "If you need anything, you say the word, okay?" he added when Paige pulled away.

"Thank you," Paige replied with a grateful smile.

"I think this calls for a group hug!" Sylvester shouted.

_Author's notes- Thank you Alaburn for betaing this and doing it REALLY FREAKING FAST. _

_Ok, so this fic was because I saw a list of Scorpion prompts on Tumblr and at the top of the list was - established Walter/Paige and Paige is pregnant and Cabe or Hetty figures it out first. AND I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. so here you go. and obviously this is set WAY, WAY , WAY into the future. _

_So thank you so much for reading, thank you all for your follows, faves and especially for you reviews. Still working on thanking all of you. _


	8. Not Acceptable

Not Acceptable

Walter woke up and practically growled. He set his jaw and thought of quadrant perimeters and circuit relays, really anything to keep him in bed and perfectly still, because maybe, by some miracle, if he lay perfectly still, the room might just stop spinning. It wasn't that he was hung over. No, far from it. He had a high fever. He knew it without even having to think about it. His core was cold, but at the base of his neck, that patch of skin was blisteringly hot. His entire body ached and he could feel beads of sweat drip off his forehead, and the spot where his head and neck laid on the pillow was drenched.

But then he felt his mouth water, and he knew he had roughly seven seconds to get from the bed to the toilet or he would be vomiting on the floor, and it would be a bitch to clean out of the carpet.

After he had expelled his stomach's contents, he staggered back into his room to get his phone. He managed to turn his pillow over so he wouldn't have to lay his head back down in dampness, and he sent a text to Cabe letting him know he was sick. The second text was to Paige to inform her that he was under the weather and to let the team just simply work on their own projects until he could sufficiently recover, hopefully in the next couple of days.

Half an hour later, Walter heard a soft knocking on the door. He couldn't help but grin as he recognized Paige's knock - soft but persistent. He struggled to get out of bed and managed to pull on a robe over his boxers and undershirt. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable with his attire, but neither did he feel up to the task of dressing himself. Besides, she was probably just going to stay long enough to drop off some soup.

Walter tried, he really did, to smile and greet her as he opened the door, but all he could manage to do was cough and try to contain the phlegm that was coming from the bronchi in his lungs. Before he knew what was happening, Paige was backing him into the house and sitting him on the couch, urging him to take sips from a water bottle.

"A _little_ under the weather, huh?" she reiterated as she perched herself on the edge of the coffee table and felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

Walter gave her a pointed look while attempting to control his horrible coughing.

Paige returned the look without a hint of trepidation. "I'm making you tea and soup," she announced as she stood up and presumably began hunting for something.

Within moments, she found the linen closet and pulled out a blanket and pillow, then she proceeded to make him lie down and practically tucked him in. She also retrieved a bottle of aspirin from her purse, giving Walter two to take before he laid down again.

Then in the kitchen, Paige made herself busy heating up a can of soup and boiling water for tea, but she spared a moment to peek in on him where he was still resting on the couch. His eyelids were closed and his parched lips were open to allow him to breathe through his mouth since breathing through his nose was not an option at the moment. He looked miserably ill, and Paige's heart twisted uncomfortably, willing him to recover faster.

The teakettle began to whistle, just in time for Walter to open his eyes and catch her staring at him. Paige turned quickly to attend to things as he made a gallant effort to sit up. She returned a moment later with his soup, tea, and a few crackers on a small tray and set it in front of him on the coffee table. Then she grabbed a box of tissues and offered them to him.

"You have… uh," Paige tried to hint as she gestured toward the corner of her own mouth to call his attention to the drool that had escaped while he had taken that short rest.

It took Walter a moment to realize his faux pas, and when he did he wanted to smack himself in the face. His cheeks stained from embarrassment as he quickly took a tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything and opted to just eat the soup while Paige went to his bathroom to find a thermometer. His throat welcomed the soothing hot liquid while his stomach rejoiced in being filled with something comforting and easy to digest.

Paige returned shortly and swiped the thermometer over his forehead to get a reading on his temperature. She gave a small huff through her nose, clearly not pleased with the result.

"This is not acceptable," Walter blurted out.

Paige scrunched up her face, thinking he was referring to her soup. "Excuse me?"

"I'm a genius. I shouldn't get sick," he protested, trying not to pout.

Paige's features relaxed and a small grin broke out on her face. "You're human. Everyone gets sick," she soothed as she ventured to sit down next to him and rub his back comfortingly.

"I can't even breathe out of my face. This is completely ridiculous," he groaned as he felt his body start to relax. He took a sip of the tea and tried not to grimace.

"Yeah, I know it's not great, but it will help," Paige said when she saw his expression change.

Walter gave her a skeptical side glance but took another sip anyway.

"Here," she prompted as she pulled him to lay his head in her lap.

"Wha..." Walter began to protest, but his body was all too willing to follow her gentle commands.

"After that car accident, when you insisted I see a medical massage therapist, this is something she taught me," Paige explained as she began to caress his forehead with her fingertips in the pattern she had been instructed to.

Walter's eyes fluttered closed as he began to feel the effects; slowly, and then all at once. His nasal passages cleared, and he was able to breathe through his nose again.

"Thank you," he murmured as he continued to enjoy Paige's attention.

"You're welcome," she replied softly as she studied his face intently.

How did he have such thick and long eyelashes? Even when he was sick he was still handsome. And even though she was used to seeing him in a suit, the casual attire was rather endearing, if she was being honest with herself.

Her hands began to still on his head, and suddenly Walter's eyes drifted open to consider her in adoring curiosity. Paige unknowingly held her breath until Walter smiled up at her. She smiled back down before lightly scratching his scalp, her grin widening as Walter groaned in pleasure and his eyes closed again.

"I should probably be getting back," Paige mused softly after a few moments, combing his hair back into place with her fingers.

Walter's face returned to its prior grimace.

"Do you want me to come back later and check in on you? Or do you think you can manage on your own?" Paige inquired.

Walter racked his brain for how he should respond. At the moment, he could think of no greater use of her time than doting on himself, but he knew there may be implications in asking her to stay. He didn't want her to think he was 'needy,' no matter how ill he was, even if 'needy' was exactly how he felt at the moment. Neither would it be the most professional thing to do, and if she got sick from being around him, he would feel immensely guilty. He also still had to protect her reputation, so to speak, so all things considered, she probably shouldn't stay too much longer.

"No, I'll be fine, thank you. I can breathe a lot better now," Walter answered as he pulled himself up to sit again. "I should bounce back by tomorrow. The day after that by the latest."

"Oh, okay," Paige replied, trying to sound compliant and not disappointed as she picked up her purse from the coffee table and walked towards the door. "Call me if you need anything, Walter," she called over her shoulder as she hesitated by the door, wanting to say something more but losing the courage to say it at the last minute before she left.

"Okay," Walter called back as he pulled the bowl of soup back into his lap.

After he was sure she had left and wouldn't hear him, he answered her previous offer. "I need you stay, because I have responses to you that would indicate that you matter to me in an inordinate amount. So much that it is unfathomable to me. It's unacceptable because I shouldn't have enough EQ to even feel this strongly about you, but here I am."

His words hung in the air, laced with bitterness, sarcasm, and contempt for himself, but nonetheless completely true.

_Author's notes- Thank you so much to Alaburn for betaing, you're my rock, you really are.  
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_And thank you all for reading and especially reviewing and faving and following and I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed reading. _


	9. Proton Arnold

**_Warning- this Quintis one-shot is the result of the prompts- heart wrenching, fluff and smut and can get graphic on the first and last counts. But because of the brief nature of both I felt didn't warrant a change in rating of the whole series. If you are sensitive to such things, I suggest you read no further than this. _**

PROTON ARNOLD

Happy mashed on the keys and moved the joystick with expert precision as she continued to rack up points through the levels of the Proton Arnold that Walter had acquired for the team. Toby was right behind her, pretending to cheer her on but actually trying to distract her so she would mess up and not beat his high score.

"You owe me another twenty," Happy crooned as she zoomed through the levels, her eyes now on Sylvester's high score.

"Fine," Toby relented, pulling another twenty out of his wallet and waving it in front of her face.

"Just put it in my pocket," she muttered as she tried to duck and keep her eyes on the screen.

"Which one?"

"Pick one, I don't care. I'm so close to beating Sylvester's score, I can almost hear him crying like a baby," she replied while rapidly approaching her goal.

Toby raised his eyebrows but did as he was told. He folded the twenty in half and carefully slid it into her back pocket, slyly copping a feel while trying not to be obvious about it. He watched as Happy tensed for half a beat and gave him a quick glance out of the corner of her eye, but he caught her small grin before she turned back to the screen. Toby allowed a smug grin of his own to spread over his face as he noted that he was having some kind of effect on her.

"Get another twenty ready," Happy said as her points ratcheted up even higher.

Toby huffed but took out his last twenty dollar bill.

"Boom!" Happy belted as she beat Sylvester's high score, and Toby slid the money into her other back pocket, watching her victorious grin grow as he did so.

"That's it. I'm out of money," Toby announced as he stood by and continued to watch her get more points before she got to a point where she was struggling to keep up with the levels.

When she finally did end her turn, she still entered in her name with a satisfied smile, third to Walter and Ralph respectively.

"Alright, try to win some of your money back then," Happy challenged as she pulled out the $100 Toby had lost to her. "I'm feeling generous today."

"There's no way I can beat your high score," he pointed out.

"Tell you what, you beat your own high score, I'll give you my own $50. You double your own high score, I'll give you back your $100. Deal?" Happy proposed as she held up the money and waved it in his face.

"I'll take that bet," Toby agreed as he took a deep breath, stretched his hands, and cracked his knuckles before taking a strong stance in front of the game and began his turn.

"Come on, you lazy shrink!" Happy 'encouraged' as she watched him play.

"Just let me play, woman!" he defended as he worked the joystick and keys.

"Is that what you're doing? I thought you were losing!" she fired back sarcastically.

Toby groaned but tried to focus on the game. He felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his forehead from his exertion. "Yeah!" he exulted triumphantly as he beat his previous high score.

"Now try to double it," Happy encouraged as she slid the $50 into his back pocket, not bothering to conceal her action of copping a good, strong feel on his ass.

Toby made a surprised, almost startled noise, and Happy saw his eyes go unusually wide as she removed her hand.

"You know, for a doctor, you have a pretty nice gluteus maximus." she appraised with a pleased grin.

"Yeah, I work out a lot," Toby droned. It was a total lie, he didn't really work out, but he would start if it meant impressing Happy more.

The disbelieving snort told him Happy saw through his bullshit, but he still saw her smiling out of the corner of his eye.

"Come on, you're almost there!" she said as she pointed at the score on the display.

"I know, I know! Stop distracting me!" Toby practically growled as he started to feel his hands cramp. "No, no, no!" he wailed as he tried to mash the buttons as much as he could before his hands began to seize, and by a quick calculation, he surmised he would fall short of doubling his score by less than a couple hundred points.

"You can do this, Toby!" Happy encouraged.

He clenched his jaw and pushed through the pain, but then he nearly lost his focus when Happy came right up behind him to slide his remaining money into his front pockets.

"Warn me next time you do that," Toby cautioned as he struggled to keep up with the game.

"Oh, you mean next time I do something like this?" Happy teased as she put her hands in back pockets and squeezed, causing his whole body to jump and thus making him lose focus, the game finally beating him.

"You're mean," Toby complained as he braced himself against the console with his arm while he typed his name in.

Happy's answering laugh didn't help. "Well, hurry up. I want one more round before Walter and Paige get back from their date," she said as she squeezed in between him and the game and popped her hips back in an effort to force him to step away.

But Toby simply stayed where he was, Happy's glorious butt against his upper thighs.

"Move," Happy grunted and grinded back into him.

"Not a chance," Toby argued as he pushed back while gently placing his hands on her hips.

He was officially playing with fire, but this was the farthest she had ever welcomed his advances, and he was going to see just how far she would let him go.

"Is that the way it is?" Happy questioned as she cast him a glance over her shoulder.

"That's the way it is," he confirmed, trying to sound confident, but his fear of a bad reaction was beginning to rise.

"Okay then," she replied before abandoning the game in favor of turning around in Toby's arms.

The next thing Toby knew, he was on the ground, staring up at Happy who was straddling his chest and pinning his arms down with her knees. His eyes went wide again as he wondered how badly she was going to beat his ass before handing it back to him.

"Let me make myself clear," Happy began before putting her finger to Toby's lips to keep him from saying anything. "This little back and forth we've been having has been fun and all, but I'm getting frustrated. So I'm going to tell you something, and I'm only going to say this once, either make a move, or knock it off." She removed her finger from his lips and crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at him expectantly.

"Can you move your knees from my arms? You're cutting off circulation," Toby muttered.

Happy frowned and moved to get off of him, but he reached up to keep her where she was. He settled his hands on her hips again, this time with an accompanying sense of possessiveness, then he slid her down his torso just enough for him to sit up. He rose up slowly, never breaking eye contact, both of them suddenly finding their breaths caught momentarily in their throats as their faces drew steadily closer. Caught in a trance, it was like they were afraid a wrong move or even a blink would the make this moment of intimacy fade away into nothing, like all the others had.

_No. Not this time. _Toby thought to himself.

And as if in complete accordance with his mind, Happy crashed her lips to his just as he made a move towards them.

Toby wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible as she framed his face with her hands. The heat rose quickly and the kisses deepened. Soon their hands began to roam each other's bodies, exploring and caressing, at the same time both wild with months of repressed longing and worshipfully tender.

Eventually Happy broke away from him to breathe and to ask, "Your place or mine?"

Her hooded stare filled Toby with more desire than he thought he could contain, and he was nearly crying with gratitude that he no longer had to. "Don't care," he answered breathlessly.

"Yours," Happy decided as she got off of him and helped pulled him up to his feet, only to have his hungry lips find hers again once they were both standing. "Your... place," she managed to murmur between kisses.

"Right, right. You drive," he suggested as he followed her to the garage where the 69' Riviera was parked.

Happy drove to Toby's house, which was closer to headquarters than her place, and from his previous boasting, she figured he had a very big, very comfortable bed.

She wasn't disappointed. The moment he managed to get her out of her clothes, and her his, they practically jumped into bed.

At first Toby attempted to take things a little slower, but Happy wasn't having any of it. With a frustrated moan and an insistent roll of her hips, she let him know that her need was urgent and intense. They could do slow and sensual later.

She was going to drive him crazy with lust. He didn't know if he could hold out very long if he gave into her demands to go faster, but damned if he wasn't going to try. He used his mouth to seek out the most sensitive spots on her neck as his hand trailed down to her core. He nipped and licked below her ear while his fingers slipped into her entrance.

Happy's back arched sharply against the sheets as she practically squealed. If she had known that being with Toby was going to be like this, she would have given in sooner, because _good god_ the man was talented. Apparently his mouth was good for more than just smarting off. Her thoughts went blurry with the pleasure as his lips and fingers worked in harmony, her breaths quickly turning into gasps.

Toby felt her grabbing for him, pulling him to her desperately, and he knew her need was just as bad as his. He removed his fingers and slid his aching length into her, nearly going over the edge in just that one motion. She was unbelievably wet and not too tight, revealing just how aroused she was. The sensation was closer to heaven than anything he had ever imagined, and as she writhed beneath him, each stroke inside her became better than the last.

A few, mere minutes later, Toby and Happy laid blissfully in each other's arms, their chests still heaving slightly. A calm yet awed daze settled over them in response to the intensity that had just transpired, and little smiles hung on their lips as they reveled in the peaceful afterglow. For once they didn't need to say anything to each other. They both just knew; this was heaven too, and it was only the beginning.

A Year and a Half Later

Happy blinked as she slowly found her sight. Toby's head lay against the glass of the driver's side mirror, a gash already bleeding heavily from his forehead. He wasn't moving.

Just moments before the crash, he had turned the car at the last minute to minimize the inevitable impact. They had been driving on the highway, had watched in horror as the semi had jackknifed in the middle of traffic. All the other cars around them had begun to swerve to avoid the enormous truck, and Toby had instinctively angled them so that when they got hit, it would be on his side of the car.

Dread kicked Happy's mental focus into gear. "Toby!" she screamed as she tried to move to shake him, but her limbs felt heavy and sluggish.

She could see outside of the car that people were getting out of their vehicles and walking around, and she knew a few were probably calling 911 already. She looked down at her swollen, pregnant belly and felt around, trying to see if the baby was hurt. She couldn't feel movement, just pain, causing her panic to increase to an unbearable level.

"Help! Someone call 911!" Happy screamed at whoever could hear her. She turned to Toby again, trying to shake him, but she couldn't even tell if he was breathing. "Damn it, Toby, don't you dare leave me here alone!" she pleaded through her tears, already fearing the worst.

It felt like forever before the ambulances got there. She was pulled from the car first and put into the back of one and driven to Cedar Sinai. She did her best to keep her wits about her, she did her best to answer the questions being fired at her from the EMTs, and she tried not to panic.

She failed on all counts. She demanded that the EMTs or someone call Walter. He would know how to help her more than anyone right now. She tried to curl into herself, tried to hold onto what made her happy.

_Six Months Before_

"_Hey, so you know that re-population algorithm we've been working on?" Happy asked as she sat on Toby's desk, her legs flirtatiously wide._

_Toby frowned but let his eyes wander up her powerful, petite frame. "Yeah?" he answered, still not completely sure of what she was referring to._

_Happy gave him an unimpressed look before rolling her eyes. "Well, there's been progress resulting in a development," she tried to hint._

_Toby sat still for a moment before it dawned on him. "Are you serious?!" he asked excitedly._

"_See the results for yourself," she replied smugly as she handed him two positive pregnancy tests._

_Toby jumped up from his chair, cheering loudly and fist pumping the air in celebration. Then he swept Happy up in a hug and kissed her soundly on the mouth before insisting that the rest of the team didn't need to work for the rest of the day, because they had some celebrating to do._

Once at the hospital, Happy was assessed and had a monitor placed on her abdomen to determine the baby's stress levels. They were unusually high, undoubtedly in answer to all the stress she was experiencing. An OB/GYN came in and looked over the results. She furrowed her brows and made a displeased expression.

"Mrs. Curtis, your daughter is under distress. I'm going to do an ultrasound to make sure she isn't physically hurt, and if she continues to show signs of distress, we will have to deliver as soon as possible"

"That's ridiculous. I'm only 34 weeks, barely 35. She needs more time; we were just in a car accident. Give her more time," Happy argued.

"35 weeks gestation has a very good chance of surviving outside the womb. She'll be small, but she'll be alright," The doctor tried to assure her.

"What is the exact chance percentage of her being okay?"

"98%"

Happy scowled and put her hand on her belly. "Just… please, give me more time," she pleaded.

"Okay. I can't give you much, but we'll give it another 15 minutes. By the way, there is a Walter O'Brien in the waiting room..."

"Get him back here now!" Happy snapped.

The OB/GYN nodded and left, and a few more agonizing moments passed before Walter finally came through the door.

"Where's Toby?" Happy demanded.

"He's in surgery. He'll be fine. How are you and Joy?" Walter asked as he pulled up a chair next to her and sat down.

"Not good. She's distressed and they want me to deliver her. She needs more time," Happy repeated.

"There's a 98.76% chance she'll be fine," Walter tried to reassure her as he looked at the monitors, his face fighting to stay calm and natural.

Happy took a deep breath and didn't move as she tried to inwardly monitor her daughter. She wasn't moving much, barely at all, not nearly enough for this time of day. Fear that had sunk in earlier rooted itself deep in her heart.

When the doctor came back a few minutes later, she looked at the feedback and shook her head. "Happy, this isn't looking good. Your daughter is still in distress. Her heart rate is decreasing; we need to do an emergency cesarean. I'm sorry."

Happy took a shuddering breath and nodded before looking over at Walter desperately. "Can he be with me?" she pleaded.

The OB/GYN nodded before she called in the anesthesiologist to meet her in surgery.

Walter reached out to hold Happy's hand, his ever growing EQ demanding he show her some kind of physical reassurance.

"If you'll come with me," one of the nurses said as she gestured for Walter to go with her to get scrubbed in.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Walter said as the other technicians began to wheel her out.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room for Toby's surgery, Paige continued to pray while watching for Happy's father. He came in shortly after Paige had called him, telling him that Happy had been in a car accident.

"How is she?" he asked when he recognized Paige.

"Walter is with her, and he just texted me that they are going to have to an emergency C-section. She's in the North Tower in the Maternity department," Paige began to direct before an announcement that the family of Toby Curtis was to meet at the receptionist's desk.

"Happy might take a while, and I should be here for this too," Mr. Quinn said as he walked with Paige to the desk to meet with one of the surgeons.

"How is he?" Mr. Quinn asked.

"Not good. He's lost a lot of blood, his left lung collapsed, his left kidney is badly damaged, and his liver has had level 4 and 5 lacerations. We're trying to find a donor match right now," the surgeon answered.

"Oh god," Paige breathed as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Toby and I have the same blood type," Mr. Quinn said. "Take a portion of my liver."

"I'll need you to sign some paperwork then," the surgeon replied, surprised by Mr. Quinn's very generous offer.

"It's the least I can do," Mr. Quinn said while a nurse brought him the needed paperwork to sign.

"Mr. Quinn, are you sure?" Paige asked, putting a hand on his arm as he began signing the paperwork.

"Toby has been there for her, much more than I have. Besides, if the worst should happen, Joy will need her father more than her grandfather," he replied with a sad smile, handing the quickly filled out paperwork to the waiting nurse before she pulled him away to get prepped for his own surgery.

Paige simply watched him walk away, an invisible weight already settling on his shoulders. She took a few more shuddering breaths as she went back out into the waiting room, wondering if she should stay here to hear about Toby or go to the labor and delivery in the North Tower. She decided to stay put and just keep a close eye on her phone for a message from Walter.

Back in Maternity, Walter was holding Happy's hand while the procedure was performed.

"Scratch my nose," Happy demanded.

Walter obliged and did his best to assist his friend, but he watched helplessly as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had had a great birth plan and had made arrangements for everything, using the old 'measure twice, cut once' mentality, but now everything was chaos.

He looked down at his phone as it buzzed with messages from both Paige and Cabe. He reflexively gripped Happy's hand a little harder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Toby should be coming out of surgery. Paige will be with him. And Cabe and Sylvester are on their way with your stuff," Walter answered, keeping his voice even. Then he chanced a look at the procedure before he gagged reflexively. He decided to try and take his mind off what was happening. "What's the difference between a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Ferrari 458 Spider?" he asked suddenly.

"Seriously? I'm having Joy prematurely delivered, Toby is in critical condition, and you're asking me car questions?!" Happy growled angrily.

"I'm trying to distract you and keep your mind off of all that."

"Not working," Happy bit out as she turned her eyes to the ceiling, hoping everything would turn out alright.

"Alright, Mrs. Curtis, we're going to deliver now," the surgeon prompted.

It was Happy's turn to squeeze Walter's hand. She took a few heavy breaths before she heard a pop and splash of her amniotic sac breaking and the fluid gushing out. Then all at once, she heard a small cry ring out. Happy bit her lip as the tears continued to leak out of her eyes. She looked at Walter who had chanced another glance and, despite the gruesome scene, smiled as his eyes followed the new infant as she was passed and cleaned off and checked over.

"She's beautiful," Walter offered as he looked back at Happy, his eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall.

"I need to see her," Happy called out.

"We're almost done. We have to make sure she's going to be able to breathe on her own," one of the nurses answered back.

"She's older than 35 weeks. She looks more like she's 36-37 weeks. Almost full term," another nurse noted.

After making sure she was fine, they bundled the tiny infant up and set her next to Happy's face.

"There you are," Happy whispered, relieved that her daughter was alive and safe.

Joy scrunched up her little face and made a displeased noise. "Shh, Mommy's here," Happy soothed, her maternal instincts taking over as the baby started to coo.

After Happy and Joy were settled into their hospital room, Walter took a picture to show Toby since he couldn't get out of bed yet. Then he retreated to let Happy and Joy bond privately and to go find Paige.

A few hours later there was an announcement for the family and friends of Mr. Curtis to come to the desk. Paige felt like her heart was in her throat as she and Walter walked to the desk.

"Mrs. O'Brien?" the surgeon asked as Paige nodded expectantly.

"The surgery was a success. Mr. Curtis is in recovery; however, I'm very sorry to tell you that Mr. Quinn didn't make it."

"What?" Paige blanched.

"He had a brain aneurysm and died shortly after going under. We were able to take his whole liver for Mr. Curtis, and Mr. Quinn was an organ donor, so all of his other organs have been treated with the utmost care. He'll be saving five more lives today," the surgeon told them gently.

"His daughter just gave birth. He never got to see..." Paige choked out, before putting her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out too loudly.

"We are deeply sorry for the loss. We did the best we could."

Paige nodded in acceptance and tried to keep herself together as Walter offered the surgeon a handshake.

"Thank you for your efforts," Walter tried to say graciously.

"Can we see Toby?" Paige asked before an aide took them to the recovery room.

Once in the room, Paige took a seat next to Toby and reached out to hold his hand, trying to tell him without words that he wasn't alone. He was still sleeping off the anesthesia.

"Did you get a picture?" Paige asked Walter as she realized he hadn't shown it to her yet.

"Yeah," Walter confirmed as he pulled out his phone to show Paige the picture.

"She's so precious and tiny. She looks like Toby," Paige noted as she fawned over the picture. "Did you tell Happy about her dad yet?" she whispered as she looked back up to Walter.

Walter bit his lip and shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to yet. She's gone through so much already. Let her bond with Joy a little more," he suggested.

"What about Joy?" Toby tried to ask as he started to wake up, lifting his head with a lot of effort and opening his eyes. When he realized where he was, Walter and Paige watched as the reality of his situation began to sink in. "Where's Happy and Joy?" Toby asked, worry clear in his tone.

"Happy and Joy are fine. They're recovering in the maternity ward."

"Happy gave birth?! Without me?" Toby quaked.

"They had to do an emergency C-section," Walter calmly replied.

"So she's going to live in an incubator for a few months?" Toby guessed.

"No, she's older than we thought she was. She'll be able to go home in a few days," Paige reassured as she gestured to Walter to show Toby the picture.

Toby took the phone with trembling hands and looked at his child's face for the first time, unable to keep himself from crying. Joy was so small.

"She's a fighter," Walter added with a proud smile.

"Of course she is," Toby confirmed as he stroked the phone screen reverently. "Has Happy's dad seen her yet?"

Walter and Paige looked at each other and grimaced.

"No," Walter admitted in a low tone.

"What do you mean, no?" Toby questioned.

"You had some really serious injuries. Your liver was lacerated beyond repair, so he offered to transplant a portion of his own. He died on the operating table," Walter explained.

What little color was left in Toby's face drained completely.

"He told me that Joy needed her father, someone who would always be there for her, more than her grandfather," Paige paraphrased.

"So… I what, have his liver?" Toby remarked, trying to keep his voice even.

"And a kidney," Walter answered.

"So Happy's dad is dead because of me?" he concluded.

"No, it's not your fault," Paige tried to soothe him. "You were in a horrendous accident, and you were only supposed to get a portion of his liver. If all went as planned, you would have both survived the surgery."

"Does Happy know?" Toby asked as he tried to subdue a sudden sob.

"I couldn't tell her," Walter confessed.

"She's going to hate me," Toby groaned miserably as he dropped his face into his hands. "She'll want a divorce when she finds out. I'll never hold my daughter."

"Get a hold of yourself! She'll do no such thing," Paige said forcefully as she wiped her own tears away. "Neither you nor she had any control over any of this, and she knows that. No one asked him to offer his liver; he did it on his own. He had a brain aneurysm. There's nothing any of us could have done."

Toby shook his head as his sobs took over. Paige sat next to him on the bed and hugged him, cried with him, and held him, even though she knew what he really needed was Happy and Joy. Walter sat next to them and grasped his friend's arm.

After a moment, they heard someone clear their throat, and they looked up to see Cabe standing in the doorway watching them. Walter waved him in, and he stepped closer to Toby as Paige pulled herself away.

"Toby," Cabe began, his low, raspy voice holding surprising gentleness. "Listen to me for a moment. You should be proud of yourself. Your wife and baby girl are alive because of you, and they will need you even more now, so give yourself time to grieve what's been lost today. Mr. Quinn knew there was a risk before he even agreed to do it, but he sacrificed himself willingly. You need to honor that sacrifice by living, by doing and being what you were meant to be, and what he and the rest of us know you are more than capable of being. An amazing father. Now I'm gonna go see what can be done so you can see Happy and Joy, alright?" Cabe divulged before giving Toby's shoulder a good squeeze and getting up to talk with the nurses.

"Should someone tell Happy about...?" Paige wondered aloud and looked at Walter, who put his head down in shame.

"Well, I was there when her dad came in and went, so I should probably tell her," Paige reasoned. "Stay here with Toby. I'll be back in a bit," she added, addressing Walter, who nodded solemnly after her.

Paige tried to keep her feelings under control as she walked the labyrinth of hallways to Happy's room in the maternity ward, rehearsing in her head how she was going to tell Happy the news.

Once at the door, Paige put on a brave smile and knocked softly before she entered. A nurse was leaving after giving the baby her first bath, and Happy was holding her, watching her suck on a tiny pacifier and gently rocking her as she fell asleep.

"Hey, Happy," Paige greeted quietly as she came closer.

"Hey," Happy replied. "How's Toby?"

"He's awake. Wants to see you," Paige answered softly.

"Was he upset that I had Joy without him?" Happy guessed, trying to keep her tone light even though Paige's body language told her something was wrong.

"He was, but it couldn't be helped, and she's here now and safe and sound and healthy, so that's a lot to be grateful for," Paige replied as she moved to sit down next to Happy and look adoringly at the newborn.

"So what's wrong?" Happy demanded, not liking to beat around the bush, so to speak.

"Happy, your..." Paige began before her voice cracked. She took a deep breath as she looked away, trying to will herself to say what she had practiced on the way over. "Happy, when you were getting your C-section, your dad came to the hospital to see you. But when he got here, one of Toby's surgeons came out and told us that Toby had too much damage done to his liver and that he would need another one. Your dad..." Paige tried to push through but tears blurred her vision, even after she looked toward the ceiling. "Your dad said that, uh, that he and Toby had the same blood type, and that he could be a match, and he offered to donate a portion of his liver to Toby," Paige finished as she watched Happy's expression become more and more serious and unsettlingly stoic.

"And?" Happy prompted tightly.

"Shortly after putting him under, he had a brain aneurysm and passed away," Paige worded with as much gentleness as she possibly could. "So they transferred his entire liver over to Toby."

Happy clenched her jaw and took a deep, shaky breath through her nose before she pushed the nurse call button.

"Yes, Mrs. Curtis?" the nurse said as she entered the room.

"Joy fell asleep. Could you put her in the nursery for a while?" Happy requested with unusual calmness.

After Joy was taken away, Happy's strength dissolved as she broke down into sobs.

Paige reached out to hold her hand, dying to do or say anything to alleviate her friend's pain. "Your dad was an organ donor, you know. The doctor said he would be saving five more lives today in addition to Toby's. And right before he went in for the surgery, he said that Toby has always been there for you, and that if the worst should happen, Joy would need her father more than her grandfather. That it was the least he could do for you and your family," Paige reiterated.

"But he _was_ my family. H-he was supposed to come over after work today and play Proton Arnold with me before we went shopping for baby sized play tools. We were supposed to restore a 67' Camaro, and he was supposed to help Joy learn how to drive and read her engine manuals as bed time stories and, and..." Happy bawled in a rare show of emotional pain.

Paige moved from the chair to perch herself on the side of the bed so she could hug Happy. "I'm so sorry, Happy. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered as she held her and rocked her from side to side.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, until the nurse came back to see if Happy was ready to nurse again.

"I'll give you some space," Paige said resolutely as she squeezed Happy's hand again before getting up and leaving the room.

She texted Walter what had happened and about Happy's reaction.

Walter texted back to stay put, and that they were coming to them.

Paige warned him to give Happy a few moments to 'feed the baby,' and she smirked a little as she imagined the face Walter would wear when he read it and understood it. He probably would have given that twisted lip, and comical, almost grimace face that always had her trying not to laugh.

Paige stood behind a curtain to give Happy some privacy, but told her that when she was ready, Walter and Cabe would be bringing Toby down to see her and Joy.

"Well tell them to hurry up. Joy should be done by the time they get here," Happy replied.

Despite the bitter sadness at the loss of her father, a few butterflies of excitement filled her at the prospect of Toby getting to finally see their daughter. She wondered what Joy's reaction would be to him. Before, she had always seemed to jump and kick the hardest when he would talk with her.

_A week before –_

"_Alright, Daddy time," Toby insisted as Happy sat on the couch with a bottle of water. _

_Happy rolled her eyes as she smiled before Toby got down on his knees between her legs and placed his hands reverently on her belly, gently feeling for where Joy was and how she was laying._

"_Hello, my child," Toby greeted enthusiastically, which earned him some sort of movement and made him giddy with excitement. "How are you doing in there? Running out of room?" he questioned, resulting in a sudden kick from inside Happy's belly, which made both of them laugh._

"_Do you think she'll like me?" Toby mused quietly as he felt around for more movement._

"_Well, if you're a condescending jerk, no, but you keep this marshmallow dad thing up, and she'll have you wrapped around her finger," Happy warned._

"_Like you don't already?" Toby questioned rhetorically before he went back and talked and 'played' with Joy through Happy's belly._

"_Do you think she'll like _me_?" Happy asked after a while._

"_Of course. You'll be one hell of a mother. In fact, you'll be the best mother ever," Toby assured as he reached up to cradle her face in his hands. "You're going to be great. You already are great. You're smart, talented, and astonishingly beautiful. Total MILF." _

_Happy rolled her eyes again but couldn't help but smile at his loving words. "I love you," she said happily._

"_I love you too," he replied before leaning over her and kissing her soundly as Joy kicked in between them. "And I love you, three," Toby added as he addressed Joy and kissed Happy's belly everywhere._

When Joy was done feeding, Happy told Paige to send for the boys, and it was mere minutes before they were all there. They had to move Happy's bed over to make room, but they were able to put the two beds side by side, facing each other so they didn't have to turn their heads.

"There's the most beautiful woman in the world," Toby greeted as his eyes landed on his wife.

Happy couldn't help but smile despite more tears welling in her eyes at the site of her husband in bandages and a wheelchair.

Toby mirrored the smile as he looked at the tiny bundle in her arms. "She looks like you," he said quietly.

"No, she looks like you. Here," Happy said as she offered the baby for him to take.

With Paige's added assistance, Toby finally got to hold Joy in his arms, then she and the others left to give the small family some privacy.

Toby started tearing up again as he cradled the precious infant. "She's more beautiful than I could have imagined," he whispered so as to not wake Joy up.

But to his surprise, Joy scrunched up her face and blearily opened her eyes.

"Hey there, beautiful," the new father said tenderly as the baby's eyes widened. "Do you recognize my voice?" he asked and smiled when the baby opened her mouth and dropped the pacifier into his lap.

Happy watched silently as her husband continued in his little conversation with their daughter, using the same tone he had used when she was still in the womb and taking her responses to his voice as answers. Except now he had a sweet little face to direct his gaze to. It made her feel emotions she didn't know how to describe, and with the way it made her heart leap and twist at the same time, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry

"Did you have a rough day?" Toby inquired as Joy scrunched up her face again and grunted. "I know, I know. I'm sorry about that," he replied, trying to unwrap her arms as she began to squirm.

When he finally got her hands free, she reached out and grasped his finger, her little hand barely big enough to wrap all the way around it. Toby softly grazed the pad of his thumb over her fingers and really marveled at her. Yes, she was small, and she was covered in a downy like fuzz, but her hair was already starting to come in, and she was alive, safe and sound. She was perfect.

"Daddy's here, baby girl. Daddy's here, and I'm never going to let you down," Toby whispered before he gently kissed the crown of her head.

_Author's notes- So thank you so much to Alaburn for being a BAMF and betaing this like a BOSS. _

_So this is the result when I was prompted to do 'Fluffy, smutty and heart wrenching' and I decided to do all of them at the same time in one go. I'm leaving the whole series still with a T rating because I didn't feel the smutty part was THAT graphic and it was rather short. So anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope to god that the writers of Scorpion don't find this and make it come true. This was hard enough to write, if I actually saw it on the show I think I would die. _


	10. Try A Little Tenderness

"Try a Little Tenderness,"

Toby watched as Happy strode over to her work area, her feet dragging a little and looking like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She looked like she was overworked and needed a break.

Toby pursed his lips as he quickly tapped on his keyboard, and soon the beginning of a soft tune poured from the speakers.

_Oh, she may be weary  
>Young girls they do get weary at<br>Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah yeah  
>But when she gets weary<br>Try a little tenderness, yeah yeah_

Toby looked back over at Happy, who had suddenly paused. Her back was to him, and he could tell she was trying to cast a subtle glance over her shoulder towards him. Toby carefully tapped once then twice on the volume, making it just a smidge louder.

_You know she's waiting  
>Just anticipating<br>For things that she'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah yeah  
>But while she's there waiting, without them<br>Try a little tenderness (that's all you gotta do)_

Happy sat down at her work table, which was perpendicular to Toby's, tinkering with something, her shoulders losing some of the tension they had held. Her lips moved, almost indiscernible, silently singing the song to herself.

Toby felt emboldened enough to turn the music just a little louder, and he did so as he watched Happy fought to not smile.

_It's not just sentimental, no, no, no  
>She has her grief and care, yeah yeah yeah<br>But the soft words, they are spoke so gentle, yeah  
>It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah<em>

Happy's head bounced just a little with the beat and it encouraged him even more. Channeling his inner Ducky from Pretty In Pink, Toby took a deep breath and decided to stand up and make his way over to her. He didn't so much as walk as he did dance toward her, swaying to the music and mouthing the lyrics as he relied on his charming nature to pull it off.

_You won't regret it, no, no  
>Some girls they don't forget it<br>Love is their only happiness, yeah  
>But it's all so easy<br>All you gotta do is try, try a little tenderness, yeah  
>All you gotta do is, man, hold her where you want her<em>

Happy looked up and saw the spectacle Toby was making of himself solely for her benefit. She blushed and dropped her eyes back down to what she had been working on, trying to seem uninterested and silently thanking that everyone else had already gone home. Once she realized she wasn't going to be able to get anything done, she shoved her work away with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at Toby with her most unamused expression.

But Toby was not deterred in the slightest.

_Squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her  
>Get to her, try, try<br>Just try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah_

Toby reached out for her to take his hand, but Happy firmly shook her head no.

"Come on!" he insisted.

She shook her head again, but this time with a smile she was failing to fight back. _  
><em>

_You got to know how to love her, man, you'll be surprised, man  
>You've got to squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her<em>

Toby wouldn't accept her refusal, so he bent over and lifted her out of her chair and over his shoulder.

"Toby, put me down!" Happy demanded as she hit his back.

"Dance with me!" Toby pleaded as he put her back down.

Happy groaned and simply stood there, staring at him like the idiot he was acting like.

"Come on!" he repeated as he picked up her hands and tried to get her to loosen up.

Happy bowed her head and shook it. He was impossible.

_You've got to hold her and rub her softly  
>Try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah<em>

Toby picked her up in his arms, her feet a few inches from the floor, and spun her around. Happy, for as much as she wanted to fight, gave in and giggled at how ridiculous he was being as she held onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders. He always tried so hard.

_You've got to rub her gentle man, all you gotta do, no no  
>You've got to love her, squeeze her, don't tease her<br>_

Toby let himself laugh with her as he inwardly congratulated himself on successfully making her smile.

_Gotta try nah nah nah, try  
>Try a little tenderness, yeah, watch her groove<br>You've gotta to know what to do, man  
>Take this advice<em>

The song ended and Toby put her back down on her feet as she let go of him to stand on her own.

"See? That wasn't so bad. You smiled, you laughed a little. Everything is better, right?" he asked.

"Almost," Happy replied, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down to kiss him solidly on the mouth.

Toby was slow to open his eyes after she pulled away but quick to grin and even quicker to kiss her back again.

Happy pulled back and smiled up at him for a moment before her face morphed into one of seriousness. "If you _ever_ pull that stunt in front of the team, I will skin you alive," she warned. "Now stop fooling around and get back to work,"

"Can't. Work day is done, time to go home. Speaking of, your place or mine, dearest?" Toby cooed.

Happy huffed. "Yours, you have the more comfortable bed," she grumbled as she put on her jacket.

Toby grinned and snaked an arm around her, steering her back to his work station to pick up his jacket, softly singing the song again to her on his own.

_Author's Notes- Many thanks to Alaburn for betaing, I did not expect to get this back this quickly. _

_All rights reserved, no copyright infringment intended for the song lyrics. And if you listen to Ottis Redding- Try A Little Tenderness while reading it, it makes it that much more fluffy. _

_Ok, now this is to TRY to make up for the heart wrenching of the previous chapter. _


End file.
